The Road Not Taken
by SerenityFalconNormandy
Summary: Written for the Dragon Age Reddit Weekly Writing Prompt: The path not taken. Write an Alternate Universe version of events, where your OC went one way in a quest, but in this version, had made an entirely different choice? Marian spares Anders during The Last Straw, and how it changes later events.


_Marian watched Anders slink out of the Gallows courtyard. He had escaped Kinloch Hold seven times, supposedly. Of course he would know a way out of the Gallows that would get him past Meredith and her Templars. Her stomach knotted. Maybe she should have killed him. What if, as she suspected, the man she knew as Anders was gone, and the abomination walking away from her was essentially Vengeance wearing the body with just enough of Anders left to pass as him? And then there was Sebastian. His friendship with Fenris was in ruins, to say nothing of his friendship with her._

 _She turned her face up to the smoke-filled sky, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Near seven years of friendship dashed in an instant, because she could not help but see Father and Bethany when Anders presented his back to her, hoping to become a martyr for his cause. Marian knew in her heart, though, that her father would have said ending Anders was a good choice. There was no doubt he was an abomination now, despite his protestations to the contrary._

 _When this was over, if they survived the confrontation with Meredith, they would have to flee like Anders. She could only pray that Sebastian would let go of his anger at her and remember that Elthina had presented one face to him and another to the suffering of the people of Kirkwall under Meredith. Of all things, she didn't think she could bear it if they suffered yet more because of her._

* * *

Hunter Fell was an odd mixture of Tevene and Nevarran architecture, and crowded beyond belief. Still, this is where Varric's connections had managed to secure a house for them, and this was where their child would be born. The Amell fortunes were still vast thanks to her dwarven friend's careful investments, and the house was on the outer edges of the city, where the smoke and press of bodies was less dense.

Fenris hovered as much as he could while sitting next to her, as he had since she had discovered she was with child in Tantervale. The back-alley clinic had made her think of Anders, as had the apostate healer. She was tired, so tired of moving around. Since leaving Kirkwall, they had not been able to find a place to call a safe haven for more than a few months. Rivain was safest, but staying in Dairsmuid for too long was a temptation for anyone looking to make a quick fortune off the two fugitives. Antiva had too many Crows, and with only one Zevran to stand between them and the pair on the run, it was better not to tempt fate.

Too many knew that Marian was Fereldan, and that King Alistair had offered her a position in his court when he'd visited Kirkwall. Her cousin Solona was the court enchanter, and Marian wouldn't do anything to compromise that for her. Orlais was full of Orlesians, and the Free Marches were distinctly unwelcoming. Fenris had sent a few letters to Sebastian, and while he had been friendly to her beloved, he had not been open to offering them assistance or sanctuary. There were rumors that Starkhaven was planning to march on Kirkwall to annex it if the city wasn't able to get itself straightened out, to Aveline's dismay. The other Marcher cities wouldn't want to get involved, so they were only stops on the trail to nowhere.

Varric had contacts in the Anderfels and Nevarra, and when he had received word of a little Hawke on the way, he had offered to look in those two nations for a place to live. Considering the unmatched piety of the people in the Anderfels, they'd put the kibosh on that idea pretty fast. Nevarra it was, and Hunter Fell would be there home for now. Who knew if they would be able to stay and raise their child here. At the moment, Varric was working on figuring out how to get Merrill and Carver out of Kirkwall without Knight-Commander Cullen finding out so Merrill could deliver Marian's baby when the time came.

Poor Fenris was ill at ease, since Mortalitasi walked the streets freely when they had passed through Nevarra City. Even in Hunter Fell, Marian didn't need to worry about using her halberd instead of her staff while walking about. The hired cart that was taking them to their new home rumbled along the streets, and allowed her to rest her aching feet.

They had cut it far too close for Marian's comfort. By her best estimate, they had a month, two at most, before they became parents in truth. If Varric's silver tongue and gold-filled purse didn't work… if Merrill couldn't make it…

She clutched Fenris's hand, "I don't want to have our baby with a stranger."

He grunted, and rubbed the back of her hand with his own. "The dwarf hasn't failed us yet, he will get the witch to us in time."

"I hope so." Marian leaned her head on his shoulder. His regular armor was set aside for Crow armor that Zevran had modified for him. It wasn't comfortable to lean on, per se, but it also wasn't spiky like normal. All of their worldly possessions fit into one crate on the cart, and Varric promised that more would come once it was safe to get everything out of Kirkwall. Aveline and Donnic had protected the estate and Orana.

The cart stopped in front of the little house. The choking Nevarran incense wasn't so strong, and the houses further apart, allowing the occupants some privacy. They thanked the cart driver, and tipped her with a few coins. Fenris hefted the crate and waited for Marian to unlock the door, then they both entered the house. It was bigger than Gamlen's apartment, and the little house in Lothering, but Marian found herself longing for the space of the estate. Nothing here felt like home. There wouldn't even be the dog smell, since Valor had given his life protecting her when they were set on by bandits outside of Cumberland on their way to Hunter Fell. She was too far gone to cast without protection for the baby, and her potions had run out just before they had arrived in the coastal city.

Fenris set down the crate, and unslung his sword from his back to prowl around and ensure the house was secure. She sat on top of the crate, stretching her legs and back, contemplating hiring a runner to fetch food from a bakery or cheesemonger when Fenris roared from the back of the house.

"Get out of my house, mage!"

A voice she'd never thought to hear again responded, "Please, Fenris, I'm just here to help. Perrine sent me. She recognized Marian."

"I told you to get out, abomination! Don't you dare speak her name, you are unworthy of it!"

"I can't leave if you're going to keep me pinned to the wall, you know."

" _Anders?_ " Marian waddled as quickly as she could, and found Fenris with Anders flat against the wall, the tip of the greatsword at his throat and both men blazing blue. "What in the blighted Void are you doing here?"

He flinched at the coldness of her tone. "Perrine recognized you, told me you were with child. I used what contacts I could with the mage underground to find you. How could you trust that bloodmage to help you give birth? I had to come to help."

"At least 'that bloodmage' didn't kill hundreds of people while lying to me to do it."

"I deserve that. I do. But I'm a spirit healer, above all else. I should be here to help you if anything goes wrong, Hawke."

Marian raked her eyes over him. He'd grown out a ragged beard, and she could see he was gaunt beneath the tattered robes he wore. She looked at Fenris, and he snarled, but stopped glowing and lowered the sword while muttering in Tevene. "You can stay, for now. If Varric isn't able to send Merrill from Kirkwall in time for the birth, you can attend me. However, if I get word from him that Merrill is coming, you will leave the moment she steps through that door, and I don't ever want to see you again for any reason. Do I make myself clear?"

Anders sighed, and nodded. "I suppose that's the best I can ask for. You have a mudroom, I can sleep in there so I'm not in the way."

Watching him heft a small pack and give Fenris a wide berth, Marian wondered if she should have just killed him, and if that would have made a difference in how things had turned out at all.


End file.
